The Efficiency Expert eBook

“Sure,” he said at last in a blustering
tone of voice. “I wrote it. But what
of it?”

“And this enclosure?” asked the attorney.
He handed Murray the slip of soiled wrapping paper
with the threat lettered upon it. “This
was received with your letter.”

Murray hesitated before replying. “Oh,”
he said, “that ain’t nothing. That
was just a little joke.”

“You were seen in Feinheimer’s with Mr.
Bince on March—­Do you recall the object
of this meeting?”

“Mr. Bince thought there was going to be a strike
at his plant and he wanted me to fix it up for him,”
replied Murray.

“You know the defendant, James Torrance?”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t he knock you down once for insulting
a girl?” Murray flushed, but was compelled
to admit the truth of the allegation.

“You haven’t got much use for him, have
you?” continued the attorney.

“No, I haven’t,” replied Murray.

“You called the defendant on the telephone a
half or three-quarters of an hour before the police
discovered Mr. Compton’s body, did you not?”

Murray started to deny that he had done so.
Jimmy’s attorney stopped him. “Just
a moment, Mr. Murray,” he said, “if you
will stop a moment and give the matter careful thought
I am sure you will recall that you telephoned Mr.
Torrance at that time, and that you did it in the
presence of a witness,” and the attorney pointed
toward the back of the court-room. Murray looked
in the direction that the other indicated and again
he paled and his hand trembled where it rested on the
arm of his chair, for seated in the back of the courtroom
was the head-waiter from Feinheimer’s.
“Now do you recall?” asked the attorney.

Murray was silent for a moment. Suddenly he
half rose from his chair. “Yes I remember
it,” he said. “They are all trying
to double-cross me. I had nothing to do with
killing Compton. That wasn’t in the deal
at all. Ask that man there; he will tell you
that I had nothing to do with killing Compton.
He hired me and he knows,” and with shaking finger
Murray pointed at Mr. Harold Bince where he sat with
his wife beside the prosecuting attorney.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Theverdict.

For a moment there was tense silence in the court-room
which was broken by the defense’s perfunctory
“Take the witness” to the prosecuting
attorney, but again cross-examination was waived.

“Call the next witness, please,” and a
moment later the Lizard emerged from the witness-room.

“I wish you would tell the jury,” said
the counsel for defense after the witness had been
sworn, “just what you told me in my office yesterday
afternoon.”